HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- There didn't seem to be a hurdle that Joshua Langford couldn't overcome this season.

First, the Madison Academy freshman changed positions a month in, moving from point guard to shooting guard when members of the Mustangs' football team transitioned to basketball after a state title run. Then point guard Kerryon Johnson had season-ending shoulder surgery in December. Langford moved back to point and helped lead MA to the Class 3A state semifinals, where starting forward Malik Miller was lost to a knee injury.

Undeterred, Langford finished the semifinal contest against Greensboro with 30 points and 16 rebounds in a 65-57 win. He then overcame a 1-for-11 start from the field in the championship game to finish with 21 points, 19 rebounds and six assists in a 54-47 victory over Southside-Selma.

"It drove me a lot," Langford said of the challenge. "We sat down and had a team meeting and said that we were going to play for each other and we were going to fight. We weren't going to let those two injuries separate us; we were going to become closer."

Langford led Madison Academy in scoring (23.9 points per game), rebounding (8.5) and assists (2.9) for the season, and is a finalist for Class 3A Player of the Year and the Mr. Basketball award. He is the 2012-13 Huntsville Times Player of the Year.

"The thing that I was just so proud of Josh this year was he found so many other ways to beat you than just scoring, which he does extremely well," Mustangs coach Andy Blackston said. "He's a prolific scorer and we run a lot of stuff for him, but at the same time, he can get his own shot pretty much whenever he wants. What he began to do this, it makes everyone around him better. You've got different guys stepping up and making shots off his penetration late in the year. That's how we were able to beat Greensboro and Southside-Selma. He's the total package."

Madison Academy's Joshua Langford

Langford is already a hot commodity on the recruiting circuit. Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State and UAB have offered him a scholarship. But he does his best not to let the attention become a distraction.

"It drives me more, but I really try not to think about it; I've got three more years," he said. "So I'm just trying to focus on finishing high school and graduating."

Added Blackston: "I think he's handled it great. He's a very likeable, very humble guy. I think what he does with all that pressure is he loves to go to the gym and stay focused on getting better, and it's almost like a pressure release. I think what sets him apart is he doesn't just rely on his God-given characteristics. He works and he refines his game; he's a gym rat. When you start to get that type of combination, then you add the leadership and maturity into that, you're getting a deadly combination."

Class 3A state championship game highlights

Langford said his biggest improvement coming into this season was increased aggressiveness, adding that he was a little timid as an eighth-grader.

Blackston doesn't believe Langford's talents have peaked, and the rising sophomore stays busy honing his skills. Case in point: He didn't take much time off to celebrate the Mustangs' championship.

"The next day I was in the gym trying to get better," he said. "I'm going to try to lead my team back (to state) next year."

Daniel Boyette covers Huntsville high school sports for The Alabama Media Group and The Huntsville Times. Write to him at dboyette@al.com.